Minnesota Agencies

The Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans (CAPM) was created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1985 to fulfill the following primary objectives: advise the governor and state legislators on issues pertaining to Asian-Pacific people, ensure Asian-Pacific Minnesotans are more incorporated and engaged in the governmental and policymaking process, ensure that residents of Asian-Pacific descent have sufficient access to state government services, promote the talents and resources of Asian-Pacific people where appropriate, and act as a broker between the Asian-Pacific community in Minnesota and other sectors of the community. (2011)

The council shall prepare and submit a report to the governor and legislature by November 15 of each year. The report shall summarize the activities of the council since its last report, list receipts and expenditures, identify the major problems and issues confronting Asian-Pacific people, make recommendations to address issues, and list the specific objectives that the council seeks to attain during the next biennium. The council shall report on outcome measures.

Started in 1985, the Council advises the Governor and legislature on issues confronting Asian-Pacific people in Minnesota.

The statutory authority for the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans was repealed in the 2015 legislative session. The ethnic councils were restructured under new legislation, creating a new Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans.

23 members; up to 19 voting members, appointed by the governor and broadly representative of the Asian-Pacific community in Minnesota; 2 representatives and 2 senators, nonvoting members. Terms, compensation, and filling of vacancies for appointed members are as provided in Minnesota Statutes 15.0575; Because the council performs functions that are not purely advisory, the council is not subject to the expiration date in Minnesota Statutes 15.059 (2011).

Executive Directors:
Albert De Leon (March 17, 1986 - December 1994); Lee Pao Xiong (July 1995 - 1999?); Kao Ly Ilean Her (1999-October, 2012); Sia Her (March, 2013 - )

Minn. Stat. 257.0755: One ombudsperson shall operate independently from but in collaboration with each of the following groups: the Indian Affairs Council, the Council on Affairs of Chicano/Latino people, the Council on Black Minnesotans, and the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans.

Minn. Stat. 257.0768: Community-Specific Boards; Subdivision 1. Membership.
Four community-specific boards are created. Each board consists of five members. The chair of each of the following groups shall appoint the board for the community represented by the group: the Indian Affairs Council; the Council on Affairs of Chicano/Latino people; the Council on Black Minnesotans; and the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans. In making appointments, the chair must consult with other members of the council.